A Flash of Light, Pain, Screaming
by isaacswolfsbane
Summary: The Carrows share a love of one thing; the Cruciatus Curse. Warning for mild mentions of torture.


**Quidditch League Round 4 – Forgotten Families;**

Cannons, Captain – Write about the Carrows.

* * *

 **A Flash of Light, Pain, Screaming**

If there was one thing Amycus Carrow loved more in the world than his sister, it was using the Cruciatus Curse. It started as a fascination while at Hogwarts—he would sit in lessons and imagine casting it on the teachers that pissed him off. He never did, of course, but that was mostly because he couldn't bear the thought of being apart from Alecto if he got expelled.

After they graduated, however, Amycus started to use the curse more freely. At first, it was just people that had wronged him; bullies from school, shopkeepers that had cheated him out of the best deal, anyone that had broken an agreement. But as he got a taste for it, he started using it to get his own way; threatening shopkeepers into giving him a substantial discount, forcing his parents to give him the family home. Then he started using it on innocent people for his own pleasure. He'd make his way into Muggle towns and start firing the curse off at anyone who was walking alone.

The curse had become soothing to him over the years. The light flashing before his eyes made everything seem so much clearer. The pain etched on a face as their body writhed across the floor sent a flutter of joy through his heart. Screams breaking the silence calmed his mind more than his favourite lullabies had as a child.

It was his love for the Cruciatus Curse that propelled Amycus through the ranks when he became a Death Eater. He held nothing back and was unafraid to use it on innocents when the Dark Lord commanded it.

 _A flash of light forces itself out of his outstretched wand, a smile spreads across his face as the body before him writhes in pain. They're resilient, whoever it is, but it isn't long before they start screaming._

" _Very good, Amycus," Voldemort says, his voice amplified so that everyone present can hear him clearly. "That's exactly what we want to see; no questions asked, just following the commands of your Lord."_

" _Thank you, my Lord," Amycus grunts._

 _He breaks the spell and the man on the floor looks up. "Please, I'll tell you anything… ple—"_

 _The man is cut off as Amycus shoots the curse at him once more. His screams ring out through the room, coming quicker and louder than before._

" _Yes, you know exactly what it takes to succeed," Voldemort muses. "If only your sister used her wand as freely as you."_

* * *

Alecto Carrow was different to her brother. There was nothing she loved more than him, and nothing she wouldn't do to please him. It had started when they were younger. Amycus had a knack for getting himself in trouble, so Alecto took it upon herself to look out for him. She'd clear up his messes and try to get him under control if he got into a mood, but it didn't always work. Eventually, she started taking the blame for some of the things he'd done, sharing the unpleasant reputation that would only grow as it followed them throughout their lives.

Throughout Hogwarts, Alecto started causing trouble of her own, realising that she might as well live up to the reputation she had gained. Though the siblings were inseparable, the school noticed almost immediately when Alecto started causing trouble. She was much more ruthless than Amycus, and she ended up harming a lot more people. She was much better at not getting caught, too.

After Hogwarts, Alecto decided to rein herself in. She knew exactly what she was capable of and didn't need to expand on it. Her parents had been arranging her marriage to a boy from Durmstrang who came from a wealthy, pureblood family. Alecto moved back into the family home and agreed to the marriage, knowing that there were worse situations to be in.

Amycus became a Death Eater before Alecto even met her husband-to-be, and she blew off the wedding, choosing instead to follow her brother under the rule of Lord Voldemort. Her reluctance stayed with her, however, and she found herself remaining at a lower level as her brother gained rank.

" _If only your sister used her wand as freely as you."_

" _I'm willing to use my just as much as my brother is, my Lord," Alecto replied, cursing herself inwardly as she stepped forward._

" _Well, if you insist. Amycus, stop." Voldemort beckons Amycus to his side, and he complies._

" _Thank you. Oh, thank you," the man on the floor gushes, but Voldemort pays no attention, sending Alecto to replace her brother._

"Crucio _," Alecto says, pointing her wand at the man._

 _It seems to happen as one; the flash of light, the look of pain, and the screaming all happen as soon as Alecto finishes her speaking. It's much faster and more efficient than Amycus' curses, and the look on the Dark Lord's face as Alecto holds the curse steady shows how pleased he is with her performance._

" _I must admit, Alecto, I was hesitant to let you do this. I had no faith that you would be of any use to me. You have exceeded my expectations," Voldemort says._

 _It surprises Alecto, but not as much as how pleased she is to get the Dark Lord's approval. She hadn't realised before, but she was no longer here only for her brother; she was following Voldemort because_ she _wanted to._

* * *

The two of them rose through the ranks together after Alecto proved herself. They worked effortlessly as a team, providing the Dark Lord with the best results of any of the Death Eaters apart from Bellatrix Lestrange. He often picked the two to lead vital tasks and took them to any he headed up himself.

When he fell for the first time, it was Alecto's cunning that kept them from Azkaban. They told Ministry officials they had not been there for themselves, which was true of Alecto, who had joined for her brother, and they were free to go after being placed under careful watch. Had they been completely free, they may have searched for the Dark Lord, but instead, they went back to their lives, the Cruciatus Curse and torturing Muggles taking a back seat.

The family home became a family once more as their parents moved back in, determined to find a husband for Alecto—the previous match having found a new wife of his own.

However, no match was found before the pair's arms started burning, the Dark Mark turning from a bright red to a jet black. They whisked themselves away from everyday life and found themselves in a graveyard, encircled around a freshly returned Lord Voldemort.

The two worked tirelessly after Harry Potter escaped, proving themselves time and time again as they climbed the ranks once more. The Cruciatus Curse made its way back into their lives and Alecto finally understood why her brother loved the curse so much. She could see the beauty in the flash of light that lit up the surrounding area, feel the joy knowing she had been the one to cause the pain on her victim's face, and the sound of screaming excited her like a song long forgotten.

After months of hard work, it finally paid off. They were again amongst the top ranking Death Eaters, the ones selected by the Dark Lord himself to carry out the most important tasks. Their first big test was the infiltration of Hogwarts. Running away in such a cowardly way as they did was not the wisest move they could have made, but it made little impact on their standing as Dumbledore had still been killed.

They were a little less than thrilled when they were given roles as professors at Hogwarts, but with Snape as Headmaster, they were allowed to do as they pleased. Asserting themselves quickly, they took control of punishment, using their beloved Cruciatus Curse as often as they could. On Alecto's suggestion, they included the more traditional punishments such as being chained up, but they always favoured the Cruciatus Curse. During a rare stroke of genius, Amycus decided that the students should love the curse as much as he did, and instructed the Seventh Years to punish the younger students with it. He hadn't meant for it to weed out those not worthy of being alive under the Dark Lord's reign, but it did, and Amycus was rewarded heavily for it.

Being professors also meant that Amycus and Alecto were in the heart of the battle, prepared to lay down their lives for the Dark Lord's cause, when everything exploded around them. Their love for chaos and bloodshed propelled them into action as soon as the news spread that Harry Potter was in the castle. As they raced to Ravenclaw Tower, sending curses at anyone who dared get in their way, they were overcome with glee; finally, they would be able to kill and torture with nothing holding them back. There was only one thing that could hold them back.

 _Alecto's arm burns as her finger makes contact with the Dark Mark branded there. A quiet hiss escapes her lips as they stretch over her face in glory._

" _We've got you now, Po—"_

"Stupefy _," Luna Lovegood cuts her off._

 _Alecto is sent flying backwards, slamming into the wall, her head making painful contact with it as the world turns black._

 _Amycus sees her unconscious body as he enters the tower. With Harry Potter nowhere to be seen, Amycus decides to tell the Dark Lord that the students forced Alecto to press her Dark Mark. He doesn't want to face the Dark Lord's wrath; he's seen what happens to traitors._

" _Coward," he hears Minerva McGonagall say behind him._

 _Until this moment, he isn't aware of speaking his thoughts out loud, but that word is unmistakably directed at him. Filled with rage, he turns and raises his wand, curse threatening to tumble from his lips. He stops mid way, changing his mind and spitting in her face instead; she isn't worthy of his beloved Cruciatus Curse._

" _You shouldn't have done that," a voice says from the corner of the room._

 _Amycus is unable to locate the speaker before he hears his favourite curse being uttered in that same rage-filled voice that had spoken before._

"Crucio _!"_

 _Movement catches his eye and he faces the attacker, raising his wand once more. He is not quick enough, preoccupied as he takes in the figure of Harry Potter standing before him. A second later there is only a flash of light, pain, and screaming._

* * *

 **Word Count:** 1,760.

* * *

 **This is for:**

 _ **The FRIENDS Competition;  
**_ _Season 5, TOW The Triplets – Write about someone under the Cruciatus Curse._

 _ **Ouran High School Host Club Characters Competition;  
**_ _Umehito Nekozawa – Write about someone using dark magic._


End file.
